easy question

[renduke]

i am from long island our crab season goes about early june to mid sept......what is the crabbing season (for when they are around in numbers) in the n.c. s.c. area.....i am gonna guess about early april to late nov ?

[coastman]

Here on Georgia's coast the crabbing season is year round. In winter it is mostly commerical crabbers that are harvesting blue crabs. I normally don't put out my 6 traps until Spring and crab through December. In the fall I am into shrimping and fishing.

[seafox]

Coastman,What would be the chances of a want-a-be shrimp catching Nobie tagging along to glean all you know about filling your 5gal. buckets of beautiful Georgia shrimp.

[coastman]

Seafox, have you ever shrimped or fished on Georgia's coast? Most folks in Northwest Georgia usually go to Florida's panhandle to fish. The commerical and recreation shrimping seasons usually begins after Labor Day and runs through December. Georgia has changed its shrimping regulataions from 1/2 inch mesh to 5/8 inch mesh for a castnet. Since you are a numbie I would recommend a 6 foot diameter taped net. Practice throwing it all summer. You are welcome to tag along this fall. Fall fishing on Georgia's coast is terrific. I would recommend getting reservations at Shellman Bluff Motel at Shellman Bluff. This is Georgia's castnetters capital. Google McIntosh County on Geogia's coast.

[BILOXI BAY]

 It's a 6 foot radius net to start with but once you get good you really need at least a 10 foot radius net to tear em' up. Here in Ms we use a "brill net " and it has a chain sewn into the bottom edge and no mono leaders inside for bunching it up like a cast net does when you pull it. We chum the shrimp to the area with pelletized rabbit food off a pier or boat launch at night and if you can put a light shining onto the water It's even better.

[bayou boy]

It's a 6 foot radius net to start with but once you get good you really need at least a 10 foot radius net to tear em' up. Here in Ms we use a "brill net " and it has a chain sewn into the bottom edge and no mono leaders inside for bunching it up like a cast net does when you pull it. We chum the shrimp to the area with pelletized rabbit food off a pier or boat launch at night and if you can put a light shining onto the water It's even better.

brill nets have strings that run from the leadline to the handline,that closes the net when pulled.spanish castnets have a bag at the bottom of the net.

[seafox]

Thanks Guys for the info. Sounds like shrimping is a nightime affair? Coastman, When you start to prepair for your seasonal shrimping , shoot me an email "al007hank@aol.com" . Thanks for the offer to tag along. What is the cost of a castnet? Do you fish from a boat?

[coastman]

In Georgia you cannot bait shrimp. Most castnetters use the 10-12 foot nets. Most numbies will not be able to manage that large a net and that is why I suggested a 6 foot taped net. I use a 10 foot taped net. Most people use duct tape on the net. You can purchase nets that are pretaped. The 6 foot net will cost about $50 plus and as the diameter increases so does the cost. My 10 foot cost around $150.00. Over 95% of the shrimp are caught in Sapelo Sound in the daytime. Only professional commerical castnetters cast for shrimp at night. Seafox you are going to email me as I will be castnetting for shrimp all fall. The reds and trout will be feasting on the shrimp bounty and I will be catching the shrimp and redfish. That is why I rarely crab after Labor Day. Seafox you need to make a weekend trip to Georgia's coast and see what you are missing.